Cuff Love
by ilovesoccer13
Summary: Naruto, Sai, and Sakura need to learn how to get along...and Kakashi solves the problem with three pairs of handcuffs.
1. Handcuffed

"Ah...another day, another mission!" Naruto led Team Kakashi down the path away from Konoha with his trademark goofy grin. Sai walked alongside Naruto, giving him an uncertain smile. Kakashi followed behind, seemingly absorbed in his book, but the lower shinobi knew him well enough to know that he was still on alert. Sakura brought up the rear, slouching halfway to the ground and rubbing her eyes.

"Why did I choose today to sleep in?" she thought exasperatingly to herself. "I was even later than Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hurry up, Sakura!" Naruto shouted back to her, and she realized she was lagging behind by at least thirty yards.

"Give me a break, I'm still waking up!" Sakura suppressed a yawn. "Why don't you slow down?"

She immediately regretted her statement as Naruto turned around and walked back towards her, letting Sai and Kakashi continue forward past him. "Great...now I have to walk with _Naruto_..." Sakura mumbled. Naruto reached her and gave her a big smile, taking a spot next to her as they walked.

"Hey Sakura-chan, you shouldn't be so far away from us, it leaves you open to an attack!" Naruto shouted at her. She glared at him, but straightened her back, wide awake due to his shouts.

"Be quiet, Naruto, you're right next to me!" Sakura shouted back. "And we're less than 200 yards from the leaf village, baka!"

"Aren't you being a little hypocritical, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, ignoring the insult.

Sakura looked at him. He looked away cluelessly, reaching behind himself to scratch his butt. "Naruto, since when does an idiot like you know the word, "hypocritical?"

"Since you said you wanted a smart man!" Naruto exclaimed, withdrawing his hand to rub his eye. Sakura watched him with disgust, but couldn't help but be a little flattered.

"When did I say that?" Sakura asked.

"Yesterday, at around noon," Naruto told her. Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"That's kinda creepy, Naruto..." she said bluntly. Naruto shrugged.

"Okay, if you don't want me to pay attention, I'll stop," he said innocently.

"Thanks..." Sakura replied. They were both silent for a moment. "You know..." Sakura started. "you don't have to ignore me or anything, just be a little less...stalkerish..." Sakura told him, and if it hadn't been so awkward she would have laughed at the image of herself catching Naruto stalking her.

Naruto perked up at her statement. "No problem, Sakura-chan! I knew you liked the attention, nobody can resist me!"

A bead of sweat dropped down the back of Sakura's head and as she turned to look at Naruto he could have sworn he saw her eye twitch. Sensing the danger, Naruto said, "Coming Sai!" and sped off quickly.

Sai turned around as Naruto approached, throwing an arm out quickly to stop Naruto from accidentally flying by him. Unfortunately, his arm was too high up, and he ended up clotheslining Naruto, knocking him to the ground in a heap. Sai helped him up as Naruto rubbed the back of his head angrily.

"I didn't call you," Sai said. Naruto's expression changed and he scratched his head guiltily.

"Hehe...I had to get away from Sakura before she killed me..." he explained.

Kakashi looked up from his book. "What did you do this time, Naruto?" he asked, looking back and seeing that Sakura's feet were making two-foot dents in the ground as she walked, and her fists were clenched by her sides.

"I may have said something about being irresistible..." Naruto muttered. Kakashi sighed, shaking his head and going back to his reading. Sai opened his backpack and pulled out a library book, flipping to a page.

"When in a fight with a friend..." he read aloud, "it is best to talk the problem out, to make amends before the problem escalates into something larger..." he closed the book. "Makes sense..." Sai turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth. Naruto's eyes widened and he hurried to stop Sai. Kakashi watched on with slight interest. "Hey Sakura-san!" Sai called, sidestepping Naruto's desperate shuriken. Sakura looked up at him.

"What!" Sakura growled in anger. Sai looked back at Naruto, who stared back at him in fright.

"Wow, you really pissed her off, didn't you?" Sai asked. Naruto went red and Sai turned back to look at Sakura, who was just within shouting distance. "Come here..." he started to say. "Nicknames...nicknames...hmm...ugly didn't seem to work..." Sai thought. Suddenly it came to him. "Come here...hideous!" he yelled to Sakura. Kakashi looked at Sai with pity. Naruto turned and ran. Sai stood there in confusion. "Is something wrong Sakura-san?" Sai asked. "Your body is shaking very rapidly!"

Sakura's face went blood-red as she looked up at him. **"SAI!!**" she screamed, sprinting towards him, one fist already held out just for him. Sai's eyes widened and he barely had time to duck before Sakura's fist hit air right where his face had been. She turned and threw another punch, and this time it his Sai right in the stomach. He doubled-over, coughing violently, but no blood came out. Kakashi watched the entire altercation while shaking his head sadly.

"That's enough you two," he finally said. Sakura clapped her hands together, all smiles, as Sai fell to the ground, still coughing. "Certainly, Kakashi-sensei," she said politely as Sai finally recovered and stood up with a deep frown.

Naruto jumped down from a nearby tree and landed next to Kakashi, eyeing Sakura nervously. He finally mustered up his best "innocent little kid voice" and said, "I don't think you're hideous, Sakura." She looked up at him blankly for a moment. He smiled in what he hoped was a sweet way, looking down slightly to avoid her eyes. Sakura stared at him emotionlessly, then followed his gaze. Her face contorted angrily and she held up her fist.

"**NARUTO, YOU PERVERT!" **

Naruto squealed in fright, running down the path with Sakura right behind him. Finally Sakura caught him. "Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to look at, uh..._those_...I just looked down and BAM, there they were!" Naruto backed away from her and she advanced on him menacingly, her fist raised. Naruto backed off the path and right into a tree. Sakura reached him and stood about a foot away, her eyes daring him to make a run for it. Naruto looked to either side of him and decided he was trapped. "Uh...you sure you don't want to talk this out?" he asked with a weak laugh. He closed his eyes to blink, and for some reason everything stayed black.

Naruto woke up a while later to see Sakura and Kakashi kneeling beside him. "Where's...Sai?" he managed to get out. His head was throbbing painfully. Kakashi pointed to Naruto's left, and he turned to see Sai lying next to him with a huge bruise on his face. "What happened to him?" Naruto asked, sitting up. "OW!" he gasped, grabbing his head. Sakura's hands went green and moved to his head as Kakashi went to go get him an ice pack. "What happened to me?!" Naruto asked. He heard a cough from beside him and saw Sai open his eyes and sit up slowly, looking around them. Sakura moved her other hand to his head as he grabbed it in pain.

"You don't remember?" Sai asked. Naruto shook his head. "Basically, Sakura beat the shit out of us."

Naruto blinked. He looked at Sakura, who, despite healing their wounds, seemed a little pleased with herself. "...oh." Naruto said simply, his memory coming back. He looked at Sakura and blushed. She let out a low growl and he looked away quickly. "But Sai...she didn't hit you in the face," Naruto said to Sai. Sai grinned slightly.

"After she knocked you out, I said she was PMS-ing," Sai told him. Naruto started to laugh, but stopped at the look on Sakura's face. Kakashi returned with two ice packs and Sakura removed her hands.

"I have to say Sakura..." Kakashi started. Sakura looked up at him, the grin returning to her face. "...this has to have been the dumbest thing you've ever done." Sakura's smile disappeared.

"W-what?" she asked.

"We started this mission with four ninjas at 100 percent. Now we have two injured ninjas, and you've used up a lot of your chakra in the punches you threw and your healing. I'm the only one who is still at full fighting capacity, and we were expected to do a lot of fighting today. We'll have to cancel the mission now."

Sakura looked down, fighting back tears of embarrassment. "WHAT! NO WAY!" Naruto shouted, jumping up quickly. "We can still...whoa...why is everything spinning?" Naruto asked, plopping back down to the ground. Sai studied Sakura's face, remembering his book. He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"It's okay, Sakura, I apolagize for the things I said," Sai told her. Sakura forced a smile.

"Thanks Sai..."

"Me too!" Naruto said drunkenly as his whole body swayed slightly, before he collapsed on the ground. Sai grinned at Sakura, but both their smiles faded when Kakashi clasped one side of a handcuff on Naruto's wrist.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?" Sakura asked him.

Kakashi smiled at her to show he wasn't angry at her, and said, "My team had to do this when we were all just becoming Genin, but maybe it'll work for you three, even though you're older." Kakashi clasped the other side of Naruto's handcuff to Sakura's wrist, and she gasped in surprise.

"Kakashi-sensei, what on Earth...how will we use the bathroom...how will we sleep?" Sakura gasped. "AND WHAT ABOUT SHOWERS?!"

"Relax," Kakashi replied as he handcuffed Sai and Sakura together with another handcuff. "These will only stay on until you learn to get along and respect each other." He clasped Sai and Naruto together with a third.

"How are we supposed to get around?" Sakura asked.

"Who will complete our mission?" Sai questioned.

"Team 10 is free, I'll get them to take it instead. And it won't matter how you get around, because those handcuffs won't stay on for long, right?" Kakashi winked at them. "Now, depending on which two of you start to get along, I will release a certain set of handcuffs. If you two come to your senses first, then the set tying you two together will come off and you will both remain chained to Naruto. If Naruto makes amends with both of you, then both of his handcuffs will come off and you two will remained handcuffed until the same thing happens. Got it?" Sakura and Sai nodded dismally. "Now go to sleep; it's getting dark. We'll return to the village in the morning. If there's an attack, I have a jutsu that releases the handcuffs. In fact, that's the only thing that releases them, so don't bother looking for a key. There isn't one."

"Damn," Sai muttered. He looked at Naruto for a moment. "Should we wake him up?" he asked Sakura as Kakashi left them alone.

"No way! He'll just be disoriented and even more annoying than usual. Let's just try to find a comfortable sleeping arrangement that works," Sakura replied. As it turned out, falling asleep in a triangle turned out to be harder than it would have been with two handcuffed people. Finally Sakura and Sai settled for laying against two trees, with Naruto snoring next to them. It was a miracle they even fell asleep at all, and before they knew it it was morning.

**Author's Note: There's not much Saku/Naru in this chapter, but don't worry, I'll get there!**


	2. Whoops!

Sakura stirred first, feeling something soft underneath her. She looked down drowsily to see that she was lying on top of Naruto. "AH!" Sakura shouted, jumping off of him. The handcuffs tightened around her wrists and Sai and Naruto were jerked towards her roughly. They both woke up instantly. Sai looked around quickly before his eyes settled on Sakura's. They both sighed and looked at Naruto, who was slowly sitting up, his injuries seemingly healed. He looked around at them, still half-asleep, and then down at their wrists.

"..."

Sakura waited for his reaction as he absorbed what had happened. Naruto took a deep breath. Sakura and Sai braced themselves for the complaints.

"WOOHOO!" Naruto shouted, jumping up and nearly ripping both their arms off. "I'm handcuffed to Sakura-chan! This is a dream come true!" Sakura huffed as Naruto calmed down and looked down at them. "How'd we end up handcuffed together?" Naruto asked. Suddenly his expression changed and he looked around cautiously. "Have we been kidnapped?" he whispered.

"No, you baka," Sakura told him. "Kakashi-sensei did this. Once we all get along, the handcuffs come off."

"Naruto! Glad to see you're awake!" Kakashi appeared next to them with a sneeze. "Did you explain the situation?" he asked Sakura and Sai.

"Sort of," Sai commented. Kakashi told Naruto everything, and then they all cleaned up camp and headed out. Kakashi had handcuffed them facing eachother, so it was particularly hard to walk.

"Naruto, your breath smells like ramen!" Sakura complained, already in a bad mood as she was the one stuck walking backwards.

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled. Sai reached around behind himself and took a pack of mints out of his backpack. He offered one to Naruto. Naruto looked sideways at Sakura and took one.

Sakura's expression softened, and she changed the subject. "Sai, how have you gotten so good at moving around? I can barely move my hands thanks to these things!"

Sai shrugged.

Naruto grinned. "Maybe he's used to being in handcuffs!"

Sakura was about to shout at Naruto when Sai said, "You would know, Naruto,"

Sakura gaped at them. "What!?"

Sai smiled at her. "How else would I know Naruto's dick is nothing special?"

Sakura's face turned green, but Sai started laughing, avoiding Naruto's glares.

"I am just kidding, Sakura-san."

Sakura's face slowly returned to normal, but she held back a glare when she saw Kakashi watching them. "You actually joke?" she asked.

"I am trying," Sai told her.

Sakura gave him and Naruto a small smile. "I have a feeling we're gonna learn a lot about each other before these handcuffs come off," she said.

They arrived at the village by the end of that day. "Let's go get some Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm starving!"

"No, I want a salad!" Sakura argued.

"I myself would prefer some shrimp," Sai put in. Kakashi looked at them.

"This is the part where you compromise," he explained. The three ninja sighed.

"Alright..." Sakura started. "We can get a salad and some shrimp across the street from Ichiraku Ramen, and then head there for Naruto's meal. Okay?"

Sai and Naruto nodded. "That was easier than I thought," Sakura said.

"See? It's not that hard! I'm going home, now good luck!" Kakashi said, starting to walk away.

"Wait! How will you watch us get along!?" Naruto shouted.

"I have my sources," Kakashi said without turning around. With that, he dissapeared.

Sakura and Sai picked up their food a few minutes later, and then the three ninja headed over to Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto ordered five bowls, and when Sai and Sakura were done eating, Naruto could use his hands to eat.

"Hmm...seems you three are in quite a predicament," the owner observed.

"Yup!" Naruto said through a mouthful of food.

"Kakashi did this, I presume?"

Naruto froze. "How'd you know?"

The owner laughed. "I remember when his team ran through the village with the very same handcuffs on. They weren't much younger than you three, come to think of it. Ah...the Fourth sure had some wacky ideas back in the day..."

"That's right..." Sakura remembered. "Kakashi's sensei was the 4th Hokage! Did he come up with the handcuff idea?" she asked.

"That's what Kakashi said," Sai interupted as Naruto slurped down the rest of his ramen.

"Hey..." Naruto said. "where are we sleeping?"

Sakura stared at him. "I didn't think of that...where _are _we sleeping?" she asked Sai.

He shrugged. Sakura and Naruto looked at each other. "I don't think my parents would like if I came home handcuffed to two guys..." Sakura told them.

"How about my place?" Naruto asked.

"Hell no, I've been in your room, don't think I've forgotten: rotten milk, old ramen, and don't forget the boxers!" Sakura shuddered and Naruto blushed.

"Then I guess we will go to my house," Sai said. Naruto paid for his meal and they waved goodbye, Sai leading the way, meaning he had to walk backwards.

After a few minutes they reached the house. Sai unlocked the front door and led them to his room. There was only one bed.

"How are we gonna do this?" Naruto asked.

"Well...even if all of us...hey, I've got it!" Sakura exclaimed. "You two can lay down next to each other with your heads on the same end, and I'll lay down in between you with my head on the opposite end! That way, we'll all be comfortable and our wrists will be close together, too!"

"Uh...I'm not really looking forward to smelling your putrid feet," Sai said, and Naruto nodded in agreement. Sakura's face turned red, but she remembered Kakashi.

"Well, I've got two pairs of feet to worry about, so lay down and shut up," she managed to not hit either of them, and they all turned the lights out and layed down on the bed. Once they got arranged, they were all at least comfortable enough to fall asleep, even if it was a little awkward. Just as Naruto's snores filled the room, Sakura felt a hand on her thigh. She held back a gasp, bue before she let her temper take over her, Sakura thought things over.

"Okay, it's on my right thigh...who was on the right...Naruto. He's asleep." Sakura took a deep breath of relief and reached down, grabbing the hand and placing it on Naruto's stomach instead. It had definitely been Naruto's hand. Nothing happened to show that he was awake, so Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, eventually falling asleep.

Naruto slept the most peacefully, dreaming of Sakura actually liking him. Just as they were about to kiss, Sakura jerked in her sleep, kicking Naruto in the face. He woke up, sitting up and looking at her feet with surprise. He covered his nose.

"Geez Sakura, do you ever wash those things?" he whispered to himself. Sunlight was already streaming through the window, so he reached over to shake his comrades awake, but stopped when he looked at Sakura's face.

"She's even prettier when she sleeps," he observed, grinning mischeiviously. "I wonder what her skin feels like when it's not punching me..." Naruto poked Sakura's arm lightly, then looked back at her face. She didn't stir. His eyes settled on her lips, and his hand moved towards her face, brushing against her cheek. Careful not to put any pressure on the handcuffs connecting him to Sakura so she wouldn't wake up, Naruto reached up and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, smiling down at her. A thought struck him. "She's asleep...she would never know..." Naruto thought. After a moment, he puckered his lips slightly, moving his head so it was above her face. He leaned down slightly...

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?" Naruto jumped as Sai's shout came from behind him. Without turning around, Naruto already knew he was dead. Sai would surely tell Sakura about this.

Sakura's eyes opened halfway at Sai's yell, and she sat up, vaguely registering how close Naruto's face was to hers. Time seemed to slow down suddenly as Sakura's eyes widened. She saw Naruto's shocked expression a moment before his eyes closed, and their faces came together. Sakura broke the kiss with a strangled yell, pushing Naruto away roughly, but he was too busy in heaven to notice. Sai watched in disbelief. She met his surprised gaze, before looking over at Naruto, who's eyes were still closed and had a slight smile on his face. Sakura stared down at her legs with wide eyes.

"I...kissed...Naruto," she thought in shock. "...and I liked it!"


	3. Preparing for Day 2

The first thing Sakura did after registering this important piece of information was lean forward and smack Naruto across the face. His eyes shot open as the red hand print formed on his cheek.

"How dare you steal my first kiss..." Sakura whispered angrily. Naruto cowered in fright; she sounded even more angry than she did when she yelled. Sai just looked back and forth between them hopelessly, finally reaching into his nearby backpack and pulling out his book, hiding his face behind it.

"I'm s-sorry Sakura-chan, y-you just leaned forward, a-and..." Naruto knew better than to try jokes at this point. He could almost see the flames in Sakura's eyes.

"You don't think I knew what you were up to?" Sakura asked coldly. "You would have kissed me anyway, whether I was asleep or awake."

"B-but..." Naruto fell silent. "Okay...I'm really sorry, but please let me explain! I just woke up, and you were asleep, and you looked so pretty...I couldn't help it!" Naruto said quickly. "Please don't kill me!"

Sakura glared at him furiously. "Naruto, you ever so much as TOUCH me again, and it'll be the last thing you ever do," she told him. He nodded rapidly. Sakura pulled the covers over herself and curled up into a ball, feeling a tear roll down her cheek.

"S-sakura-chan?" she heard Naruto ask, but she ignored him.

"I'm so confused..." Sakura thought. "I hate Naruto so much right now...My first kiss was supposed to be with Sasuke...He stole Sasuke's first kiss, and now he's stolen mine! But...considering the circumstances and my feelings for Naruto, or lack thereof...I loved it. If that's how I feel, then why am I so angry? And why did I even like it in the first place? It was a total accident..." Sakura wiped her tears away with her hand. "What I really need is time to think by myself, but thanks to _Kakashi-sensei _that isn't available at the moment..." she thought bitterly. Sakura wiped the last traces of her tears away and contorted her face into what she thought might look happy, and then removed the covers and sat up. Sai had put his book down and he and Naruto were talking in hushed whispers. They fell silent as Sakura looked up at them.

"Well, time to get up!" she yelled cheerfully. Sai stared at her.

"Is she bipolar?" she heard Sai mutter to Naruto. Naruto avoided Sakura's eyes and shrugged to Sai.

The three of them maneuvered out of bed and Sai moved to his dresser.

"Uh..." he started. They all looked down at themselves. They had slept in their clothes, and thus hadn't encountered this problem the night before. Sakura sighed, moving her other problems to the back of her mind for the moment.

"I guess we can hold off on showers for one more day...but this is unavoidable. Just...we can try to turn our heads, I guess." Sai reached into the dresser as Sakura and Naruto turned away.

"Ow!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.

"What?" Sai asked.

"I think I slept on my neck funny..." Naruto commented, rubbing it. Sakura nodded beside him.

"It hurts to turn it," she added. Sai tested his.

"Mine is fine," he told them.

"Lucky you," Sakura mumbled. "Well, we can't turn our necks for very long without it hurting too much. What should we do?"

Sai sighed. "Well, I guess you guys can close your eyes or something. But once I get to my boxers, you have to turn around." Sakura and Naruto nodded and closed their eyes as Sai undressed. Naruto kept his eyes halfway closed, squinting over at Sakura, who seemed to be doing the same thing as him, except she was looking at Sai. Naruto went red with jealousy.

"Just wait until she sees me change," he thought.

"Okay, I'm down to my boxers," Sai told them. "You have to turn around, just in case." Naruto and Sakura twisted their necks until they were looking away from him.

"Hurry up, it hurts," Naruto said.

"Okay, I'm done," Sai said after a moment. They looked back around to see him pull his pants up over a different pair of boxers. Sai yanked his shirt on, apparently focused on getting dressed. Naruto noticed Sakura not bothering to close her eyes this time.

Sakura, meanwhile, was completely aware of Naruto watching her out of the corner of his eye. "That's right, Naruto. Be jealous. I'll make you pay for what you did," she thought with an inward grin. "Sai does have a pretty nice body...but I wouldn't date him or anything. I'll let Naruto wonder though..."

Sai pulled on his backpack and they set off to Naruto's house so he could change. After they finally convinced Sakura to go into his room, Naruto fought his way over to his dresser. Sakura tiptoed carefully behind he and Sai, avoiding the wreckage. Naruto opened the drawers and selected his clothing. Sai closed his eyes. Sakura closed hers too, but after a moment her curiosity got the better of her, and she switched to a squint. She suppressed a laugh. Naruto was practically doing a striptease. Sakura shook her head slightly and closed her eyes tightly, turning her head when Naruto said to, and not opening them until he was done. However, the image of Naruto topless occupied her mind until they arrived at her house.

"Damn..." Sakura muttered when they arrived. "We'll have to sneak in so my parents won't notice!"

"Where's your room?" Sai asked.

"Right next to my parents'!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Alright," Naruto said. "we just have to be veeeeery quiet." He opened the front door softly, wincing when it creaked. The three of them stepped inside softly, creeping down the hallway to Sakura's room. As they passed by her parents' room, they heard a loud snore. Naruto jumped.

"Relax, that's my dad. He always snores like that," Sakura whispered. They entered her room quietly and made their way over to her dresser. She slid the drawers open and collected her outfit for the day. "I'm a girl, so keep your heads turned the entire time," she commanded in a hushed whisper.

"But my neck..." Naruto said quietly.

"Your neck hasn't even begun to feel pain yet," Sakura started, and Naruto quickly turned his head around before she could continue. She watched them carefully as she got undressed. Once Naruto's head began to turn towards her slightly, so she grabbed it with both hands and twisted it back away from her. He yelped quickly and didn't try anything else. Other than that they encountered no problems, so Sakura finished up and they all exited her house.

Once they were outside, Sakura clapped her hand to her forehead. "Gah, we should have done my house second!" she exclaimed.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I have to use the bathroom, and we can't in there or we might wake my parents up!" Sakura explained. Naruto suddenly realized he too had a full bladder.

"Maybe Ichiraku Ramen has a bathroom," Naruto suggested.

"Good idea Nar...I get it..." Sakura glared at him mid-compliment. Naruto grinned nervously. "Fine, but only because I really need to go."

They reached Ichiraku Ramen within minutes. As Naruto predicted, they did have a bathroom. They all went into one stall together.

"Uh..." Sai started.

"Turn around," Sakura cut him off. They complied. "If you turn around, it'll be the last thing you ever see," she told them. They nodded, but it was still awkward to hear Sakura pee.

Naruto made the mistake of singing, "Tinkle, tinkle, little Sakura..." off key and received a sharp kick in the butt that nearly knocked him to the ground. Even Sai had to suppress a laugh. When Sakura was done, Naruto went. Unfortunately he had to go number two, and as he sat on the toilet, he thought, "Don't fart, don't fart...gah!"

Sai and Sakura cringed. "Oh Lord..." Sakura whispered. Sai wrapped it up and they ran from the room before the air could poison them any further. After a few quick bowls of ramen for breakfast, they were ready to start day two handcuffed together. Sakura hoped for the sake of her sanity that she could avoid the imminent conversation with Naruto that she knew was coming.


	4. Advice from Ino

"Soo...what should we do today?" Naruto asked as they walked down the main path through the village. It was now noon, and the streets were bustling with people. The three shinobi were receiving odd looks everywhere they turned.

"Sakura?" they heard a voice from behind them. Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru walked up to them.

"Uh, if you don't mind me asking...what the hell?" Shikamaru summed up.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Our team has issues, so Kakashi-sensei handcuffed us together," he replied just as bluntly. Naruto leaned towards them and whispered, "And I kissed Sakura-chan!"

"WHAT?!" Ino shouted. Sakura's face was beet-red.

"It was an accident," she said through gritted teeth. Choji and Shikamaru burst into laughter as Naruto grinned proudly, and Ino moved to pat Sakura on the back sympathetically, pulling her as far away from the boys as she could go, which wasn't very far, so they kept it to a whisper.

"Sooo..." Ino asked. Sakura stared at her blankly.

"What?"

Ino made an impatient gesture with her hands. "Details! Was it good?"

Sakura blushed. "Well...uh...I don't know...maybe?" she finished lamely. Ino giggled.

"You totally like him!" she whispered excitedly so only Sakura could hear.

Sakura suddenly became very interested in her feet. "I don't know about that..."

Ino frowned and nudged her. "What's wrong with him? Other than the fact that he's really annoying, Naruto's a pretty decent guy, right?" Sakura shrugged. Ino grinned. "So...is he a good kisser or not?" she asked.

"Er...can we change the subject? How did your last mission go?" Sakura attempted.

Ino wagged her finger. "Not gonna work. At least tell me what happened!"

Sakura sighed. "Fine. It was nothing, really. We were all sleeping in the same bed..." Ino gasped. Sakura looked at her. "Because of the handcuffs!"

"...oh," Ino said, embarrassed.

"...and I woke up when Sai shouted something to Naruto. I sat up...and Naruto's face happened to be right above mine. So...we sorta kissed..." Sakura fought off a blush.

"And?" Ino asked.

"And...I guess I kinda liked it..." Sakura finished with a guilty smile. Ino jumped up and down, clapping her hands together, earning a few more strange looks from other people. Luckily the boys were absorbed in their own conversation and didn't notice.

"I knew it, I knew it! You should date him! Everyone knows he likes you!"

Sakura sighed. "I don't know Ino...what about Sasuke?"

Ino raised her eyebrows. "What about him?"

"I...I don't know, don't you think..."

"Sasuke's gone, Sakura. He doesn't want to come back. I've come to terms with it, and so has the rest of the village. It's time you did too." Ino placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have to move on."

Sakura frowned sadly. "So that's it? I should just...what? What should I do? I don't know how to ask guys out for real, I always knew Sasuke would say no so I never really took it seriously..."

Ino looked at her. "Sakura?"

Sakura looked back. "Yeah?"

"Are you busy this Friday?"

Sakura stared at her. "What?"

Ino smiled. "See, easy. No problem."

Sakura laughed in relief. "But, um...when's a good time to ask him?"

"That's easy too. When you're alone!"

"Uh...easier said than done," Sakura said, gesturing towards her handcuffs.

"So...get rid of Sai. Sort out whatever "issues" Naruto was talking about, and Kakashi will release the handcuffs, right?"

"I guess so..." Sakura paused. "What if Naruto says n-"

"Oh shut up, like he'll seriously say no. He worships the ground you walk on, Sakura," Ino said.

"I suppose you're right. I feel kinda bad, thinking about it now. All the times I've said no to him..."

"Well, you'll make up for it soon enough," Ino said, stepping away from her. "C'mon guys, we have to head out for our new mission in an hour!" Ino yelled to her team. Shikamaru and Choji waved bye to Sai and Naruto, and Team 10 started down the road.

"Hey Ino!" Sakura called after her.

"Yeah?" Ino yelled back.

"The whole village will know everything in less than an hour, won't they?" Sakura asked.

"You bet!" Ino shouted. Sakura sighed with a small smile and they waved goodbye.

"What was she talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," Sakura asked, giving him a smile. "Might as well start being nicer..." she thought, falling into step behind them. "You know Naruto...you're a pretty good kisser..." Sakura flirted.

Naruto looked at her, his eyes shining. "Really?" he asked in a high-pitched voice. Sakura tried not to look too creeped-out.

"Yeah...but don't let it go to your head..."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Sai looked back and forth at them, shaking his head and reaching for his book.

They stopped for a lunch break an hour later, at none other than Ichiraku Ramen. While Naruto pigged out, Sakura addressed Sai.

"Sai, I'm really sorry I've been so abusive to you since you've been with us," Sakura told him with a sincere smile.

"Thank you. And I am sorry that I've done whatever it is I've done to make you upset," Sai told her. Sakura raised her eyebrows. Sai sighed. "I'm sorry I called you names. But it was truly unintentional. I am only trying to find nicknames for my comrades, so that we may become friends and develop bonds. I am only trying to get to know both of you better."

"I know, Sai. I...just sometimes I am very insecure with myself, and being called ugly and fat and stupid doesn't make me feel any better."

"Nobody called you fat or stupid, and I suppose you aren't ugly...I just don't see you the way Naruto does. Actually, you're quite skinny...and the smartest girl I know."

"Thanks. I guess I label myself sometimes. You're not a bad person, Sai. I realize now that you just don't understand people as well as what's normal. And I think you're a really great artist, by the way..." Sakura told him. Sai smiled, and after a moment, Sakura leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, catching Naruto's attention.

As Naruto seethed in anger, Sai asked, "What is this?"

"Surely you've heard of a hug. It is used to show love in a friendly kind of way," Sakura explained.

"Oh. Happy hugging, then," Sai said, awkwardly wrapping his arms around her.

"It isn't a holiday or anything, Sai. It's just what normal people do..."

"Okay. Happy hugging just like normal people do!" Sai said cheerfully. Sakura sighed, and then a soft click came from their wrists.

"The handcuffs!" Sakura cheered. The pair connecting them unhooked, dropping to the ground with a clatter. Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, winking at the two of them.

"I'll take these!" he exclaimed, picking them up. He disappeared with a poof, leaving Sai and Sakura to examine their uncuffed wrists.

"That was easier than I thought!" Sakura exclaimed. Sai nodded in agreement.

"Now that one pair is unhooked, we can move more freely!" Naruto shouted, forgetting his anger.

"Yeah, but you're in the middle." Sai pointed out.

Naruto shrugged. "I guess I don't mind. How about to make up for it, we have ramen for dinner too!" Sai and Sakura groaned.

"I second that idea!" the owner called out.


	5. The End

The three shinobi spent the rest of their day relaxing in the shade under a tree. They now could walk and lay in a row, which would make travel easier, as well as sleeping that night. Now they were laying in a row to look up at the clouds.

"That one looks like Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at a random cloud in the sky.

"That's the 12th time you've said that in the past ten minutes, Naruto..." Sai observed.

"That's just cause their all white and puffy, just like her!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura sat up and looked at him angrily.

Naruto met her gaze. "Eh...I screwed up, didn't I?"

Sakura nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed. Naruto hurried to correct his mistake. "I didn't mean it like that, Sakura-chan! What I meant to say was...the clouds are white and...soft! Not puffy, soft! Just like your silky smooth skin!" Naruto thought up.

"You're pushing it, Naruto..." Sakura told him, lying back down on the ground. "Maybe I should rethink dating him..." she cleared that thought from her mind as she remembered her conversation with Ino. Sakura set her jaw. "By the time Team 10 gets back the day after tomorrow, I'll have a date scheduled with Naruto!" Sakura decided mentally. Naruto, meanwhile, had already laid back down and turned his attention up to the clouds again. Sakura laid down next to him again.

"That one looks like a paint brush!" Sai exclaimed.

"C'mon Sai, don't be so...hey, it does!" Sakura exclaimed. Sai sat up as footsteps approached from behind them. Naruto and Sakura followed.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sai cried as Naruto and Sakura turned around.

"Hey guys, I see some of you are getting along better than others," Kakashi said, looking down at their joined wrists. "I'm surprised. My team was only twelve, and we finished in less than a day!" The rest of the team grumbled undecipherable excuses. "Well, I hope to see you all ready for training by tomorrow! Maybe the idea of taking showers together will motivate you..." Kakashi said with a twinge of humor in his voice. Before he could turn to leave Naruto was already tripping over an attempt at an apology to Sai.

"Er...uh...sorry?" Naruto spit out.

"Not good enough!" Kakashi threw over his shoulder as he walked away.

"DAMN!" Naruto shouted. Sai looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, Sai, we're not gonna have some kind of mature, heartfelt conversation like you and Sakura did. We're men!" Naruto exclaimed. Sai blinked at him. Naruto continued. "So I'll start! Since we're both mature, macho men, we're going to act like it!" Naruto puffed his chest out and stuck his hand out to Sai. "I apologize for acting like a jerk, and I look forward to working with you in the future!" Naruto said formally. Sakura rolled her eyes. Sai looked down at Naruto's hand.

"What do I do with this?"

Naruto looked at him. "You shake it." Sai took Naruto's hand and shook it in all different directions. "No Sai...up and down!" Naruto said impatiently. Sai complied, shooting Sakura a smile when Naruto wasn't looking. Sakura rolled her eyes at him, but smiled back.

"And I'm sorry for acting like a jerk too, Naruto," Sai replied. Naruto nodded, and they released each other's hands.

"Okay, that was the dumbest thing I've ever seen," Sakura told them. "There is absolutely no way that-" A small pop came from their wrists, and the handcuffs fell to the ground. Kakashi appeared out of nowhere.

"Good job guys!" Kakashi told them as Sakura sat there in shock. "Way to solve the problem like manly men!" He looked at Sakura, letting out a laugh at her wide eyes and dropped jaw. "Give them a break, Sakura," he whispered to her once she recovered. "They're just boys, after all!" Kakashi turned to leave, pretending not to notice that Sakura's whole head was practically on fire.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura shouted, standing up. Naruto cried out as Sakura ran after Kakashi, dragging Naruto along the ground behind her. Kakashi ran faster and Sakura realized she couldn't keep up, so she stopped.

"Remember, Sakura!" Kakashi yelled over his shoulder. "Violence is what got you into this!" He turned a corner and was gone. Sakura sighed and sat down on the ground.

"Hey Sakura!" she heard Sai call.

"Yes?" she turned around, suddenly tired.

"I'm gonna go home...I could use some sleep..." Sai told her.

"Alright..." Sakura replied. "See you tomorrow, Sai..." He waved goodbye, and left Sakura alone with Naruto. It had gotten dark by now, and the streets were empty. Naruto sat up, rubbing his head.

"Geez, Sakura-chan, don't forget, we're still handcuffed!" Naruto reminded her, checking to make sure he had nothing more than scrapes.

"Sorry Naruto...but I was wondering...were are we going to sleep tonight?" Sakura asked.

"Oh yeah..." Naruto grinned. "With Sai gone, it's just the two of us!" Naruto wiggled his eyebrows. Sakura pretended to be repulsed, but she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.

"Well...we can't sleep at my house...so I guess we have to sleep at yours..." Sakura gave in.

"Awesome!" Naruto shouted. "I'll clean my room, I promise!"

Sakura and Naruto stopped by Sakura's house to get pajamas and clothes for the next day, (avoiding her parents, of course), and then they headed over to Naruto's house.

Naruto was true to his word, and even though one of his hands was handcuffed, he still managed to clean his room in record time.

"Naruto, if it was this easy, why didn't you clean it until just now?" Sakura asked as they sat next to each other on Naruto's bed.

"Well...nobody ever had a problem with it before..." Naruto said.

"Oh...well, thanks for cleaning it. I guess that means you don't get many visitors, huh?"

"Not really. Iruka comes sometimes, but his room is actually almost as messy as mine, so he doesn't mind. Who'd believe that, huh?"

"Really? I pictured him as a neat-freak!"

"Yeah, I know! Most people do, but he's almost as bad as me!"

"Wow...I didn't know that..." Sakura mused.

Naruto laid down on his bed and relaxed. "So, what do you want to do?" he asked. Looking at Naruto lying on his bed, Sakura could think of a couple of things, but of course she wasn't going to mention them, so she just shrugged, faking a yawn.

"Gosh, I'm tired!" Sakura stretched and "yawned" again.

"Well, I guess we should go to bed, then," Naruto said with a twinge of disappointment. They both quickly changed the same way they had the day before.

"Goodnight," Naruto told her. Sakura layed down next to him, and since the bed was made for one person they were both pretty close together.

"Goodnight," Sakura replied. She turned so her back was next to him, and Naruto positioned himself so that he was facing her. They had to share a pillow, so when Naruto exhaled it went straight onto Sakura's neck. The sensation made her shiver.

"Are you cold, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Sakura decided to use that as an excuse and nodded. Naruto put his arm around her protectively, and Sakura held back a gasp. She did feel surprisingly warmer, though. However, she couldn't stop herself from gasping when Naruto used his arm to pull her to him so their bodies were pressed together. Naruto heard this and grinned to himself. They both fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

Sakura and Naruto both woke up to a sharp banging on the bedroom door. "SAKURA!" a woman's voice called. Sakura jumped awake, pulling Naruto up with her.

"Sakura...what's wrong?" Naruto asked, rubbing his eyes.

Sakura's face was white. "Mother..." they gulped and walked up the the door, which was still being banged on. Sakura opened it a crack.

"Sakura!" her mother said from the other side. "I thought you were on a mission, until I saw Kakashi this morning! He said you'd probably be here!"

"Uh...I _was _on a mission..." Sakura started.

"Then what on Earth are you doing here?" her mother questioned. "This is that Jinchurikki's house..." Her mother gasped. "Where is the Jinchurikki?"

"Uh..." Sakura mumbled.

"Hmm?" her mother asked.

Sakura opened the door a bit wider to show Naruto standing next to her. He mother's eyes widened as she looked from Naruto's nervous face, to her daughter's frightened one, down to the handcuffs on their wrists. She gasped and nearly fainted. "You!" she shouted, pointing at Naruto. "You stole my daughter's virginity!" Sakura's mouth dropped and she blushed red with embarrassment. Naruto went red as well. "Now she's going to have freaky demon babies!" Sakura's face went red for an entirely different reason.

"Get out," Sakura said coldly, as Naruto looked away, humiliated. "NOW!" Her mother jumped backwards, but didn't move otherwise.

"I told Iruka that I didn't want my daughter on a team with this boy!" Sakura's mother pressed on. "And now I know I was right!" She pointed an accusing finger at Naruto.

"Mother, we didn't do anything! Kakashi put these on us so we would learn to get along!" Sakura shouted, grabbing Naruto's hand protectively. He mother's expression changed slightly, but she still looked mad. "And Naruto is the nicest boy I've ever met, so don't you ever insult him! This is his home, and you're not welcome here!" Sakura's entire face was blood red with anger.

"Sakura...it's okay...really..." Naruto said meekly. Sakura glared at her mother, who looked from Sakura to Naruto.

"Very well. I can see when I'm not wanted around. However, we WILL talk about this later," she looked at Sakura. "Goodbye." Sakura's mother turned and left silently. Sakura slammed the bedroom door behind her, pulling Naruto over to the bed and sitting him down.

"Sakura...maybe you shouldn't have been so hard on your mother..."

Sakura shoved Naruto down onto the bed and pressed her lips to his. Naruto gasped and Sakura deepened the kiss, by instinct exploring his mouth with her tongue. Not surprisingly, he tasted of ramen. When they broke apart, Naruto stared up at her, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"You don't understand. She's been giving me crap about you for three years, Naruto. Ever since we ended up on the same team. Every day. I think I realize now that that's why I hated you so much. It made things easier on me. But when we kissed...I didn't know what to think. I was supposed to be disgusted...repulsed by it...but I wasn't. It was exactly how I thought my first kiss would be...it had the awkwardness all first kisses have, it was unexpected, and despite my reaction, I really did enjoy it. I...just never pictured it with you. But I'm glad it was, because I really do care for you...I might love you, but we're only fifteen so I don't want to make up my mind too soon..."

Naruto stared at her. He gave her his goofy grin. "Well...I'm sure you know I like you..."

Sakura giggled. "Obviously..."

"So...will you go on a date with me now...a real one?" Sakura grinned.

"Absolutely."

"YES!" Naruto exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Sakura. She hugged him back, and after a moment, Naruto pulled away.

"Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Ichiraku Ramen."

"YAY! I like the girlfriend Sakura better already! Wait...you are my girlfriend, right?"

"If you want me to be..."

"AWESOME! This day can't get any better! Wait until Sai hears about this! And Kakashi! And Ino, and Choji, and Shikamaru, and Kiba...ooh! I'm totally gonna rub this in Sasuke's face next time we fight him! Like, I can just be fighting him one on one, ya know, and then I'll be like, 'Wait! Let me get my girlfriend to help me out!' and then you can come out in like, a cape or something, with a mask on, and then I'll be like, 'Guess who I'm dating?' and then you take off your mask, and then Sasuke'll faint in shock 'cause he'd never think WE'D be dating, and then we drag him home! And then he'll be like, 'Dang it, I sure missed out on someone special!' and I'll be like 'Yup! But she's mine now, you missed your chance!' and he'll say, 'You're right Naruto, you're so much cooler than me!' It'll be GREAT!"

"NARUTO!"

"Sorry Sakura, just daydreaming..."

"Geez, I feel like I'm dating a 12-year-old..."

"No, I can be mature! Like when me and Sai made up, that was mature, right? RIGHT?"

"No, it was idiotic."

"Oh...well, I promise, as long as I'm your boyfriend, I promise to be more mat..."

"Just shut up, Naruto."

"But..."

Trust me, you'll have plenty of time to grow up. Let's just focus on now..."

"What do you mean by now?"

"You'll see..."

"What? Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"What are you...uh...Sak...mmph..."

And with a soft pop, the last set of handcuffs came off.

**Fin**


End file.
